On the short list of important transfers for the 2013 season, none are more critical than Heaps—for the position he plays and for the health of the worst BCS program in college football.

The top five transfers for 2013:

QB Jake Heaps, Kansas

A cynic looks at it this way: Coach Charlie Weis tried the transfer route last year, and it failed miserably with Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist.

By the end of last season, Weis had all but scrapped his pro style offense for the zone read, and Kansas won all of one game—against FCS South Dakota State.

But Heaps takes over in a much better situation than Crist, with legitimate threats on the outside and a potentially strong offensive line—all from the heralded recruiting class full of junior college signees. The obvious red flag: new faces at critical positions.

But does it really matter? Kansas has lost 21 straight Big 12 games and 32 of 34, and hasn’t beaten a current member of the conference since 2009. Heaps will give the offense a strong arm and some fiery, charismatic leadership—something the Jayhawks (five losses by a combined 25 points in 2012) desperately need.

DT Aaron Lynch, USF

The Bulls have been the definition of a team without an identity for so long, it’s only fitting that new coach Willie Taggart and Lynch arrive at the same time.

Taggart teaches toughness and attitude, following the Jim Harbaugh model of winning with character and cruelty. Hello, identity: Aaron Lynch.

Lynch had 5.5 sacks as a freshman at Notre Dame, and by the end of his first season, had developed into one of the top interior linemen in the nation. He left South Bend last year in the middle of spring practice, and will give USF a force on the interior.

Taggart wants to build USF much like he built Western Kentucky, and how he helped Harbaugh build Stanford: strong and physical on the interior lines. Lynch, when properly motivated, is a terrific piece to the transition.

OT Max Garcia, Florida

One of the few bright spots at Maryland two years ago when he started all 12 games as a true freshman.

He’ll begin his Florida career at guard, but could move to tackle when Florida gets its best five on the field. The Gators will go from a strong unit last fall that paved the way for a solid run game, to a potentially SEC-best unit with the addition of Garcia, Nebraska transfer Tyler Moore (who will start at right tackle and just missed this Top 5 list) and the emergence of sophomore LT D.J. Humphries.

The core linemen, including the newcomers, will give rising QB Jeff Driskel solid protection, allowing the talented junior to play with more pocket awareness and confidence.

WR Darius White, Missouri

Not so long ago, Mizzou had this fun passing game that threw it all over the field and produced highlight after highlight.

Here comes Mr. Highlight himself, Darius White. Or least, enough of a deep threat that the two most important players on the unit—QB James Franklin and WR Dorial Green-Beckham—can help the Tigers find their way back.

Mizzou failed to reach expectations last year because the offense couldn’t throw the ball—not because of the big, bad SEC defenses. Franklin was dinged up much of the season, and the receivers didn’t help with their inability to get open.

Green-Beckham started figuring it out late in the season, but never really put together a big game. He needs another deep threat on the outside to pull double coverage from him and allow him to work on beating coverage and gaining confidence. White has the physical frame and deep speed that will force defenses to choose whom to double cover.

RB Brandon Williams, Texas A&M

It just didn’t work out for Williams at Oklahoma, where the former 5-star recruit was supposed to be the next Adrian Peterson.

Next up: Texas A&M, where Ben Malena is the clear starter and a strong scatback-style runner. What he’s not is a guy who can push the pile—something the Aggies need when yards become harder as defenses adjust to the TAMU offense.

If Williams can develop into a consistent between the tackles runner—he couldn’t in Year 1 in Norman—the Aggies offense is that much tougher to defend and the pressure to make plays doesn’t all fall on star quarterback Johnny Manziel.